Boat Polish Buy Now
Looking for the best yacht polishes? Don't know what type of polish, paste or varnish to choose? topRik marketplace experts have selected for you products for polishing the hull of a fiberglass yacht from leading manufacturers of boat “cosmetics”. All you have to do is choose the products depending on the condition of the gelcoat of your yacht.
Modern polishing techniques and technologies make it possible to achieve excellent results and return the surface of the yacht hull to ideal smoothness and deep shine. Polishing removes micro-scratches , oxides and dirt, giving the yacht a stunning appearance.
The yacht polishing technique is based on the use of specialized tools and materials, as well as the experience and skill of professionals. Manual and mechanical polishing, the use of various polishing pastes and products - all this allows you to achieve high quality and durable results. Not only the appearance of the yacht, but also its protection from harmful environmental factors depends on polishing.
When It's Time to Polish the Boat
Gelcoat is a material (polymerized binder) on the outer layer of fiberglass, which protects it from “corrosion” (or, more correctly, “aging”) that occurs under the influence of an aggressive environment, as well as from mechanical damage that contributes to the development of “corrosion” processes.
Gel coat plays a decorative and protective role on the surface of a fiberglass part. If the part is constantly exposed to the sun, then the gelcoat protects it from harmful ultraviolet rays. If the part comes into contact with water, the gelcoat protects it from moisture and prevents corrosion and further destruction of the laminate layers.
More often, gelcoat repair is required on the bottom of yachts, boats, boats and other equipment whose hull has direct contact with water.
The bottom of the boat, which is covered with gelcoat, can deteriorate over time. There are many reasons:
- mechanical damage, for example, when the boat was moored unsuccessfully and the bottom was strongly caught on the shore;
- holes – after an acquaintance with a sharp stone;
- various kinds of scratches, chips, abrasions and dents;
- low quality fiberglass, which was poorly impregnated and poorly rolled;
- destructive effect of osmotic processes.
If your boat is used frequently and not just idle on the shore, then damage is a common situation.
To correctly diagnose the gelcoat surface, you first need to pay attention to the appearance of the ship's hull.
It should be remembered that chips and scratches of the gelcoat accelerate the penetration of sea water into the material of the boat hull, and therefore the development of the osmosis process. This can only be prevented by timely repairs. Depending on the degree of damage - grinding, polishing, varnishing, waxing. The choice of sanding agent (abrasive or non-abrasive) also depends on the degree of damage.
But even if there are no visible chips or scratches, and the body has a yellowish or white coating, this may indicate areas of damage. In this case, a thorough inspection is necessary. If damage caused by osmosis is detected during diagnostics, all work on repairing the housing, including removing damaged layers, should be carried out by experienced specialists.
How To Choose a Polish
There are two types of polishing: cosmetic and abrasive. What is the difference between them? If the sides of the boat are in good condition and the original color and gloss of the gelcoat have not been lost or only slightly lost, it is worth polishing with a cosmetic polish or applying wax. Just in case, immediately before polishing, to remove dust, dirt, fats and grease that have managed to get onto the gelcoat, the yacht should be washed with special products such as a universal cleaner-degreaser.
And then we begin to treat the boat with polish. Depending on what kind of treatment a particular yacht needs, pay attention to the characteristics of the products, which can be very diverse, for example:
- UV protection, which protects the hull from fading and oxidation;
- protection against corrosion due to prolonged exposure to water;
- protection from sea salt;
- creating a repellent layer from dirt, dust and oil;
- removal of oxidation and surface dullness.
topRik marketplace offers all types of products with the above listed characteristics for polishing the hull of a yacht. Many of these products have combined properties and are also suitable for polishing materials other than fiberglass: acrylic, plexiglass, glass, PVC, ABS and polycarbonate (presented in our marketplace as Glitter from Losso).
We recommend paying attention to products that do not contain silicone and wax, since these ingredients are absorbed into fiberglass and contribute to the development of osmotic processes. An example of such a product in the topRik marketplace is abrasive and polishing cream Boat gloss cut.
For abrasive polishing, products with small abrasive particles that have a cutting effect are used. When polishing, these particles at a microscopic level cut off the top layer of gelcoat along with the burnout products, making the gelcoat smoother, restoring its gloss. Besides Boat gloss cut from BRAVA marketplace topRik offers abrasive polishing products from other manufacturers, like Linas fluid M paste and others.
Preparing The Boat for Polishing
After a technical inspection and diagnosis of the condition of the gelcoat, we select a means for polishing the yacht, depending on what type of treatment it needs.
As we mentioned above, in order to prepare the yacht for the gelcoat polishing process, a well-washed boat should be additionally treated with special degreasers.
After complete drying, we continue preparing the yacht for polishing.
Important! For all types of polishing (especially abrasive polishing), you should cover with high-quality tape all parts that do not require polishing: rubber seals, portholes, hatches, fenders, etc. details.
After this, we begin polishing the boat.
How To Polish a Yacht
If only partial polishing of the gelcoat is required with minor damage to its layer, the process can be done manually. But if you have to grind a large area of the bottom and hull with abrasives, it is better to use special devices, unless, of course, the boat owner has experience using grinding wheels of different diameters. This processing is called semi-automatic grinding, and if the owner does not have experience with such a tool, it is better to invite professionals.
Hand Polishing
If the polishing process is carried out manually, using a small piece of clean, dry cloth, apply the polishing agent in an even, thin layer to a small area of the body measuring approximately 0.5 x 0.5 m. After the applied composition dries a little and forms a white layer on the treated area, using another dry Using a clean cloth, polish this area until it becomes glossy. We continue polishing, moving along the surface of the yacht's hull.
Semi-Automatic (Machine) Polishing
When machine polishing, use a special foam polishing disc. During machine polishing, polish or wax can be applied both to the polishing disc and to the boat hull with a napkin, as in manual polishing, and then polish the surface using a disc at a speed of no higher than 1500 rpm.
Application to the body is preferable, since it allows you to extend the life of the disk. Regardless of the polishing method, avoid working on large areas at the same time! Apply the compound and spread it from area to area as you polish. If the polish or wax rolls under the polishing disc into small pellets, reduce the rotation speed of the disc and (or) clean the disc from any remaining polish (wax). The disc is washed with warm water using a universal cleaner with a degreasing effect.
Having completed the procedures described above, you will cover the body with a layer of transparent protective film, which will fill in all kinds of micro-scratches and pores of the gelcoat, thereby enhancing the gloss and giving the gelcoat a more saturated color.
The same film will prevent further fading of the gelcoat and significantly slow down its re-contamination. It's worth repeating that cosmetic polish or wax is only suitable for protecting hulls in relatively good condition.
Using Polish with Abrasive
What to do if the body is slightly “aged”, if the gloss of the gelcoat is noticeably lost? In this case, you should polish in two stages - first with a polish with the addition of an abrasive, and then with a cosmetic polish or wax as described above.
The method of using an abrasive polish is similar to that described above, but there is an important difference: we apply the polish to a small area of the body and then, while the polish is still liquid, polish for several minutes in a circular motion (with a cloth for manual polishing or a yellow polishing wheel for machine polishing) - in this At this point, the abrasive particles do their job, smoothing the gelcoat and giving it a glossy finish.
As soon as the layer of polish began to dry out (whitishness began to appear), we finally polished it with another clean and dry cloth or another clean circle until gloss appears. We process the entire body in this way, and then wipe it with a microfiber cloth to remove dry polish residues.
The second stage (it can and even should be done after a few days) is applying cosmetic polish or wax (see above). This will enhance the gloss and color saturation, and increase the degree of protection of the hull from fading and contamination.
Full Abrasive Polishing
This procedure is carried out if the gloss of the hull is completely absent, the surface is faded and leaves a whitish mark on the fingers, and numerous micro-scratches are observed throughout the gelcoat. Such a yacht can also be brought into proper shape by polishing. True, in this case this process will become much more labor-intensive than in the three previous cases.
The sequence of work matters.
- We remove microscratches first. This operation is best performed using an eccentric grinder and special fine-grained grinding wheels, gradually changing them to less grainy ones. Attention, grind with care, without putting excessive pressure on the grinding wheel! It will be impossible to correct the consequences of excessive grinding! The grinding should be completed with a special wheel, which will bring the surface of the gelcoat to a state suitable for further “smoothing” using polish.
- The next stage is polishing with abrasive polishes. Well-proven polishes from Star brite are widely used as such. Apply a small amount to a polishing wheel and polish a small area of the body surface in a circular motion. Polish until we get a stable gloss.
- To obtain an ideal gloss, it is advisable to wipe the body with a microfiber cloth to remove any remaining polish and repeat the entire polishing procedure using a polish with different characteristics and a disc of a different grain size. For light-colored gelcoats, abrasive polishing can be considered complete at this stage.
- Dark gelcoats, which are prone to the appearance of rainbow stains in the sun, should be additionally subjected to final polishing. When finished, wipe the body with a suitable cloth to remove any remaining polish.
Now all that remains is to apply a layer of cosmetic polish or wax to the body to preserve the results of your Herculean work, slow down re-fading and delay the need for repeated large-scale polishing. Periodic application of cosmetic polishes and waxes will keep the hull in excellent condition for a very long time.
If you have any questions or need a free consultation, send a message to [email protected], give us a call or use the form in Contacts section.